Projects for developing new varieties based on technology from Thailand have also seen initial success, said the National Institute of Agricultural Genetics.

Nguyen Thi Diem, director of the Centre for Technology Application and Transfer under the Phu Yen Department of Science and Technology, said the department was collecting typical orchid varieties in a 5,000-square-metre orchid garden in Phu Hoa district.

The garden collects 150 orchid species from the central and Central Highlands regions as well as imported varieties of the flower.

Orchids are a highly profitable crop for commercial growers, say Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry experts. Dendrobium and Mokara varieties can bring planters about 1 billion dong (Bt2.21 million) per hectare annually, much higher than rice or other produce.

Large-scale orchid gardens are scant in Vietnam, however, and most of the planting areas cover an area no bigger than a few thousand square metres.

The experts say the orchid industry will need greater attention from the authorities to develop technology for growing and marketing orchids, from selecting seed to packaging, in order both to meet domestic demand and to compete internationally.